


start of time

by morisqui



Category: Hanebado!, The Badminton play of Ayano Hanesaki
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character Study, Gen, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 08:30:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15384816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morisqui/pseuds/morisqui
Summary: Ayano stared at the photo on her hands. Her mother and a blonde girl with a gold trophy in her hand. Connie Christensen, aprodigyaccording to the news spreads the photo was from.How much of a disappointment did your daughter have to be for you to go and replace her?





	start of time

**Author's Note:**

> *checks the hanebado! tag*  
> *finds no fics*  
>  ***screams***  
>  *writes a fic because i can't wait for the next episode*
> 
> So guys, if you love these girls, write fics for the tag, please!!!
> 
> English is not my first language so don't be mean. Enjoy!

_Oh today I’m just a drop of water_

_And I'm running down a mountainside_

 

She was used to winning. She hadn’t lost a game since her mother left. And she’d be damned if she let herself lose against anyone ever again.

 

She wished winning was hard. That her opponents would give her more of a fight. Like Kaoruko did. Maybe then she’d understand why her mother left.

 

If she was bad at badminton, she’d understand.

 

But she wasn’t, she was _good_.

 

All her opponents were bad. She was good. She’d only lost a game in the last year because she had a cold. She wasn’t in top condition. It’s not her fault she couldn’t give it her all.

 

And still, her mother left.

 

Ayano may be a good player, but she’s still not the best.

 

_Come tomorrow I'll be in the ocean_

_I'll be rising with the morning tide_

 

Being in the All-Japan Juniors surely said great things about her skill. Her talent. All the time she’d spent practicing. Staying late every single day to practice. Rarely hanging out with friends (not that she had much besides Elena). All for the sake of winning.

 

All so her mom would come back to her. All so she could make her proud.

 

Ayano stared at the photo on her hands. Her mother and a blonde girl with a gold trophy in her hand. Connie Christensen, a _prodigy_ according to the news spreads the photo was from.

 

How much of a disappointment did your daughter have to be for you to go and replace her?

 

She looked at her badminton racket, lying innocently against the gym’s lockers. Ayano looked back at the picture, there were droplets of water covering her mom’s smiling face.

 

She closed her eyes and wiped the tears from her eyes. She didn’t notice she was crying. She didn’t really care either.

 

There were so little things, she cared about nowadays. And badminton, she realized, stopped being one of them.

 

_There's a ghost upon the moor tonight_

_Now it's in our house_

 

Ayano made a mental note to never let herself be dragged by Elena ever again. She didn’t want to play badminton. She quitted it for a reason. A painful one, that she was reminded of every day she stepped into her grandparent’s house instead of her mother’s.

 

It hurt to say that badminton was just a sport. Nothing significant. In reality, it meant so much more to her. And to remember that, was what hurt her the most.

 

She thought of throwing the game away, but Elena knew her. She’d seen her play countless of times. Well, she figured, she’d put up somewhat of a fight and lose 19-21 or something.

 

The weight of the racket was off. She’d still had her school uniform on. She’d rather play in shorts than a skirt. Really, what an awkward way to play badminton after so long.

 

But,

 

But the handle let her grasp the racket firmly. The birdie felt light on her hand. Serving was still easy. Returning the shots still made her heart race. Especially when a particular nasty smash from the team captain came her way.

 

She wished badminton didn’t come this easy for her. That it didn’t feel familiar. That it wasn’t screaming at her _welcome back_ after so many months of not playing.

 

Of course, her treacherous mind chose that moment to remind her just why she left it in the first place. A flash of pink, her body on fire, and the spell was broken.

 

“That’s enough. I’m done” She said

 

The teacher responsible for the club, Taromaru-sensei, asked her if she’d joined. She said no, ready to put all this behind her and go home.

 

“I’ll be the team manager,” Elena said. Ayano looked at her, disbelief clear on her face, she just smiles brightly back at her.

 

Ayano sighed, they were a package deal, and Elena _knew_ that judging by the smirk she sent her way.

 

“I guess I’ll join after all,” Ayano said grumpily. Elena squeals excitedly and pulled her in a hug.

 

_When you walked into the room just then_

_It's like the sun came out_

 

Aragaki-senpai seems to have a personal grudge against her. Ayano didn’t let it get to her, Senpai was probably mad that they didn’t finish their game. She was fine with it, she didn’t even want to be in this club, after all, so she didn’t care if all the other club members like her or not.

 

That said, it didn’t give the right to Aragaki-senpai to act like such a dick. Aren’t team captains supposed to be level-headed? Or at least act like it? All Agaraki-senpai had done was crash into her repeatedly, glaring at her, blaming her for getting in her way and trying to solve all her problems with a smash.

 

Ayano mentally groaned. That’s not how you’re supposed to play badminton, _at all._

 

She was glad the coach told her to switch out. She worked just fine with Riko-senpai.

 

Ayano’s sore that the captain thinks she’s the coach’s favorite. What if she is? That didn’t take away all the years she dedicated to badminton to be as good as she is. She hates that everyone thinks she’s good without practicing. That it’s just talent that made her good.

 

Why does everyone assume that? She’s been practicing since she was two years old.

 

And even if she hadn’t been as enthusiastic about badminton as everyone else, she’d thought the captain would understand the effort Ayano put in her plays. Aragaki-senpai was the one that practiced the most. She must know that just talent or some physical attribute, like height, didn’t mean you were good at the game. Why can’t she see that Ayano’s badminton is not based on talent alone?

 

An apology was the last thing she’d expect to come out of Agaraki-senpai’s mouth later in the afternoon. She still wanted to beat Ayano, though. Of course, she did. Objectively, Ayano was the best player on the team even if she slacked off the most.

 

But, Aragaki-senpai is no longer bitter about Ayano’s talent. She seems to respect her, now. Ayano didn’t know what kind of magic went through her brain for her to stop being so self-centered, but she was glad.

 

A friendly rivalry was the least she expected, but it wasn’t necessarily unwelcome.

 

_I'm an atom in a sea of nothing_

_Looking for another to combine_

 

After a while, Ayano believed that badminton could bring back some happiness in her life. Even though, whenever she played she was reminded of her mom, she started to look at the bright side.

 

Sora-chan, Yu-chan, Riko-senpai, and Hayama-senpai were friendly, including her in their conversations without a second thought. Isehara-senpai, although a bit quiet, was pretty good at badminton and had a sarcastic sense of humor. Taromaru-sensei encouraged everyone to try their best. Coach Tachibana was still a little bit obsessed with her skills, but she didn’t worry. Elena was always there to protect her if the coach started getting creepy. And Agaraki-senpai finally started acting like a captain.

 

All in all, things were going pretty well.

 

Of course, Kaoruko had to come and screw everything up.

 

_Maybe we could be the start of something_

_Be together at the start of time_

 

The match brings back memories Ayano would rather left be buried.

 

She was lying on the gym’s floor, watching Kaoruko’s retreating figure. The memories came flooding back to her full-force. She felt like crying. She’d never wanted to play badminton again, she wanted to be left alone.

 

She wanted for her mother to come back.

 

The coach came up to her as she stood up and said something about the rhythm of the match. Ayano didn’t listen to him. She didn’t care about it anymore. Why was she playing badminton? To beat Kaoruko? To prove to her mother that she was a good player?

 

She grabbed her things and left the gym. She heard them calling after her, but the tears were coming and she didn’t dare to look back.

 

Elena came after her, and it took all of her effort to keep the tears in check and her voice from cracking.

 

“I’m going to stay on the team” Elena states firmly.

 

“Do whatever you want, I’m leaving” Ayano said. She doesn’t care about badminton anymore. The hurt that flashes on Elena’s face was enough to make Ayano rethink her decision for a second. But it’s not enough to erase the last painful year she had after her mother left.

 

And so, with tears now on the corners of her eyes, Ayano turned around and went home.

 

_There's a ghost upon the moor tonight_

_Now it's in our house_

 

She skipped school the next day. She couldn’t face Elena, they’d been friends for forever, and she hated being the one that’s hurting her. Elena’s not hurt though, or mad. Both things she made clear to Ayano when she came to the park after school where Ayano has been hidden since the morning.

 

She asked about Kaoruko and Ayano told her. They’re best friends, Elena knew that her mother left her last year and never came back. But she never detailed just why her mother left.

 

“But you loved badminton so much. Listen, It’s your life, you can separate your mother from badminton” Elena says

 

“No, I can’t. She’s the reason I used to play and I don’t have a reason to anymore” Ayano says, she ducked her head to avoid Elena´s eyes, got off the slide and went home.

 

_When you walked into the room just then_

_It's like the sun came out_

 

She was on the octopus slide gathering the courage to go to school when Elena tapped her on the shoulder. A knowing smile on her face.

 

“You can’t skip forever, you know?” Elena said teasingly

 

“I can certainly try” Ayano countered back. Elena rolled her eyes at her friend.

 

“Ayano, whenever you played with your mother, I felt left out. And whenever I saw everyone on the club fawning over you I do as well” Elena says “But, I still want you to play. I’ve never seen you happier than when you play badminton”

 

Ayano stared at her, at a loss of words, because it’s been so long since she’d felt truly happy, let alone playing badminton. Determined? Sure. Focus? Yeah. But happy? Not that she can remember.

 

_It's like the sun came out_

 

Aragaki-senpai walked up to them. And where did she came from? She looked suspiciously at Elena. Her friend gave her an ‘i-did-nothing-wrong’ look. Ayano realized long ago that meant Elena was in fact behind whatever was going on.

 

“Oi, Hanesaki,” Aragaki-senpai said “You can quit the team if you want, but you still owe me a match”

 

Ayano rolled her eyes and replied “This has nothing to do with you” She looked at Elena for support but she gave her a bright smile and nodded like she believed this is a great idea.

 

Ayano groans, she hates Elena’s schemes.

 

_And the day is clear_

 

They play right there on the park. Ayano didn’t mind, it’s not like you need a gym court to play badminton. And, it’s the last time she was going to play this game either way.

 

_My voice is just a whisper_

 

She borrowed a racket from Aragaki-senpai and served.

 

This was so frustrating, she wanted nothing to do with badminton. It’s a stupid game. Nothing more.

 

Except... it’s not, it’s why Ayano’s mother left her. And that’s painful, but it’s not just that. Elena thinks that she’s happy playing badminton. She can’t remember for a second when was she happy playing this game. It put her through the shittiest year she’s had. How can she be happy playing it?

 

But, she remembers a time when she was indeed happy.

 

When her mother’s expectations weren’t crushing on her. When rivals didn’t try to sabotage one another, but to demonstrate who’s better by playing fair.

 

A time, when Elena and she used to play in this same park and they laughed and laughed for hours.

 

_Louder than the screams you hear_

 

Aragaki-senpai is a good player. Rough around the edges, still relies a bit too much on her smash, but she wasn’t bad at the game.

 

And she’s also not a bad person. Albeit Ayano’s first impression of her wasn’t good, she came  around. Aragaki-senpai was a good captain and a healthy rival.

 

With every swing of her racket, Ayano remembered. She looked at Elena, completely missing the birdie. Not that she cared, she hadn’t felt this free in a while. She smiled at Elena, truly smiled for the first time after a long time. Elena returned her smile and shook her head fondly.

 

She played badminton because it’s fun.

 

_It's like the sun came out_

 

When the rest of the team arrived and they started playing together, Aragaki-senpai and her stuck to the sidelines, resting for a bit.

 

“You still owe me that match, don’t think you’re saved, I’m going to beat you,” Aragaki said, pure determination covering her features.

 

Ayano giggles, and shakes her head. She turns to Aragaki-senpai and says good-naturally, “I’m looking forward to playing against you”

 

Aragaki-senpai grinned at her, eyes bright.

 

Maybe, they can also be friends.

**Author's Note:**

> [ My tumblr ](https://morisqui.tumblr.com)
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> If anyone wants to talk about anything, hit me up! 
> 
> And if anyone was wondering the song is [ Start of time by Gabrielle Aplin. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8atXQlSfzQ)


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